Chapter 108 : Chapter 108

Translator: AkazaTL

Pr/Ed: Sol IX

***

Chapter 108 – Counterfire (2)

“I’ll assume I misheard you.”

“Tom, don’t be like that.”

“Please tell me this is a joke.”

“It isn’t.”

At my answer, Tom slapped his hand against his forehead.

“You challenged Edan Rhapsody to a duel? How can that possibly be true?”

“……”

“Do you even understand what it means that he’s the swordsman set to succeed Hugo Rhapsody? He’s a Swordmaster candidate! A Swordmaster candidate!”

“I know.”

“And you still did something that insane?!”

“I thought it was the only hole left in the sky to crawl through.”

“Oh, no, my lord. That’s not a hole in the sky—it’s a way to bring it crashing down faster! Do you even realize what you’ve done? You’ve gone beyond forgiveness. Even begging for your life won’t save you now. Edan Rhapsody will accept the duel no matter what. And once it begins, you’ll die before you even understand how.”

“……”

“Edan Rhapsody is stronger than I am.”

Tom’s tirade went on for quite a while. When I didn’t respond, he finally quieted down, though his face was still clouded with worry.

“What were you thinking?”

“I wanted to draw Toma Rhapsody in.”

“Toma Rhapsody… you mean…”

“The precious youngest son. The lunatic who claimed I disgraced his honor.”

At my words, Tom’s brow twitched.

“If we can bring him here, we can uncover the truth. You said it yourself—The Five Great Houses are bound by law. Great power must bear great responsibility. This will be our chance to hold them accountable for the unjust strength they wield.”

“…What will you do, then?”

“First, I’d like you to answer my question.”

Tom straightened his posture, listening.

I steadied my voice and asked:

“Ten seconds.”

“……”

“What must I do to survive ten seconds against Edan Rhapsody?”

***

I heard Tom’s thoughts. They weren’t complicated.

“Edan Rhapsody recently ascended to Sword Expert. But unlike me, he has forged complete Armor. A Sword Expert who possesses armor gains the divine authority of ‘Impenetrability.’ The power of invulnerability—to deny all forms of attack.”

“I know how formidable armor can be.”

“Yes. You’ve already faced a Sword Expert before—the dwarf during the second event of the 「Infinite Duel」. But that dwarf didn’t even reveal a fraction of his true power.”

“……”

“People often compare Sword Experts to castle walls. But that’s misleading. When they hear ‘wall,’ they think of something heavy, massive, and slow. But Sword Experts are never slow.”

Tom drew his sword—a silver rapier.

“As you know, swordsmanship is a path of accumulation and ascension. Advancing to the next realm doesn’t erase the essence of the previous one. Only by reaching the limit of one realm can a swordsman rise to the next. Do you understand what that means?”

“To become a Sword Expert, one must first reach the limit of the Sword Runner.”

“Exactly. But saying it and seeing it are very different things.”

“Yes, that’s—”

I only managed to say “that’s ri—” when Tom’s sword moved.

His fingertips blurred. A fierce wind surged—and then Tom was staring at me, asking:

“Did you see it?”

“…No.”

“I just stabbed over two hundred times.”

“……”

“Of course, it might have been too fast for you to notice. My style focuses on speed, and even among others of my realm, my sword is particularly quick.”

Tom returned the silver rapier to his belt.

“But your opponent is a Rhapsody.”

“……”

“And the sword of the Rhapsody family is the fastest on the continent. Ten times faster than what you just saw. That’s what ‘the fastest on the continent’ means.”

Ten times faster.

A dry laugh escaped me.

“So think carefully. It’s not too late to cancel the duel. But if you truly can’t turn back, then say the word.”

“And what will you do if I do?”

“I’ll stand as your Proxy Warrior. I’m a Sword Expert too—it would at least make for a decent fight. I won’t win, but still.”

“……”

“Don’t worry. I’ve lived long enough. It would be an honor to die in the place of a young man. So just say the word whenever you wish.”

Tom said it so cheerfully—that he’d gladly die in my stead.

Make Tom my Proxy Warrior? Never. This was my doing. My burden alone. I refused to let a kind man die in my place. Watching someone close to me die—that pain, I could never bear again. Not anymore.

After that, I sought my master’s advice.

His reply?

「If you can last one second, that’ll be a miracle.」

Of course. My master was brutally honest when it came to the sword.

「Think of it in reverse. If you, as you are now, fought a newborn babe who’s never even held a sword—how many seconds would it take you to kill them?」

“Surely the gap isn’t that vast?”

「It might be worse. The higher the realm, the greater the disparity becomes.」

The comparison was perfect. If I were to fight an ordinary person, I could cut them down within a single second the moment distance was closed. It would be effortless. They have no Path, no Mana Heart. Perhaps Edan Rhapsody would see me the same way—like a worm to be crushed.

I had neither Wings nor Armor. To him, I was prey.

And yet—

「It’s not hopeless. There’s a way.」

“There’s a way?”

「If you consider the nature of your sword—yes, there’s potential.」

Tom was right.

「Every swordsman has a reason for wielding the sword—strength, protection, survival, honor.」

“……”

「But you wield the sword for one reason alone—to kill a Swordmaster. Because only a Swordmaster can kill another Swordmaster.」

There it was—the only hole left in the sky.

「Your sword was made to face those far stronger than you. Its Mystery does not protect nor dazzle—it subverts. The 「Flame of Doubt」—the power to drag down the mighty from their lofty thrones.」

“……”

「If you can awaken that unprecedented Mystery, there might yet be a chance.」

Liam looked at me.

「One second.」

“One second?”

「The Karavans grow stronger in battle. You remember that, don’t you?」

“Yes.”

「Use that first second against the heir of the Idler’s blood as your trial. Face overwhelming strength—and make that instant your moment of awakening. Before that single second ends… spread your Wings. Then, perhaps, you’ll survive the next nine.」

Make that instant your awakening.

“…Is that even possible?”

It sounded absurd. But—

「I did it.」

“……”

「And so did your ancestors.」

How perfect is Karavan.

“I’ll try.”

The Steel Blood flows in me. So—

“No.”

“I’ll do it.”

***

I gathered Seol Yoon, Hailyn, Tom, and Audrey and explained my plan.

They all asked in unison if I’d gone insane. Ah—except Hailyn. She didn’t say such harsh things; she didn’t even understand words like Sword Expert or Sword Runner in the first place.

Ten days.

That was all the time I had—perhaps less. I had demanded one condition: that they bring Toma Rhapsody, the youngest son who once fought me in the 「Infinite Duel」. If they felt insulted enough, they might even bring him sooner.

Either way, the moment Toma arrived, the duel would begin.

There wasn’t much I could do to prepare—just sharpen my senses through training, and ask my master about the nature of the Rhapsody sword. That was it.

Since the day I first grasped a blade, I’d never faced a greater crisis.

To be honest, I was nervous. I acted calm, but I couldn’t help it.

After all, I was only human. And this situation—it mirrored the day Swordmaster Carlos came.

I remembered my people fleeing, powerless before unjust violence. I remembered how terrifying the strength of a single being could be.

It was traumatic. Like how the swordswoman Mary, wielder of 「Needle」, feared fire. Like a war veteran flinching at the sight of blades. Like a man who once drowned, forever fearing the sea. I feared unjust violence. I feared the destruction of those precious to me.

How ironic. I’d sworn to fight such violence. To take up the sword for that very purpose. To kill a Swordmaster, so I could end one. Yet I feared it all the same. Terribly so.

Time passed quickly.

Before I knew it, ten days had gone.

At dawn on the tenth day, a massive army surrounded the Karavan territory—far larger than the vanguard that came before. This was no mere show of force. It was a sight reminiscent of the 「War Duel」—a legion, a storm of pure destruction.

“Sword Demon Liam.”

And then, one swordsman—the one who bore the mightiest violence—spoke:

“Come out.”

***

Northern Iron Kingdom.

In all the long history of the continent, its iron-blooded fortress had never once fallen. Atop the white Winter Citadel, a flag fluttered—a sigil of snow and frost, the emblem of one of the Five Great Houses: White.

And within the gleaming white mansion at the citadel’s heart—Whitecastle, home of the true rulers of the North—a pure white bird flew through the window, wings shimmering with radiant light. The bird perched before its sleeping master.

“Mmm…”

The white bird carried out its duty flawlessly—to deliver news that the benefactor of House White, bearer of the White Medal, was in grave danger and in need of aid. The mystical creature completed its task without error. Except—

“My Daisy.”

Lady Daisy White was not alone in her chamber. That was only natural. Wherever Daisy stayed within Whitecastle, there was always one man by her side.

“It seems your benefactor is in trouble.”

A noble of the Iron Kingdom—second only to the royal family in rank.

The ruler of the entire northern region.

The Lord of Winter.

The master of the Watchers who upheld the continent’s order by sacred law.

“If he’s your benefactor, then he’s mine as well.”

A man who had rejected countless beauties, even turning down marriage with a princess of the Sky Empire—to wed a woman of humble birth.

“If he’s my benefactor, then he’s a benefactor of House White.”

She was of fallen nobility, plain in appearance, once violated by a baron’s son at a noble party. A woman who clawed her way up from ruin, without the docility of a proper lady. Rumors claimed she disobeyed her husband and lay with her half-witted knight since childhood. And yet—knowing all that, despite having countless shining choices before him, the man had chosen her.

“The Watchers of House White never forget their debt.”

He was famous across the continent as a devoted husband.

“Whether it be grace or vengeance—we always repay it.”

The lord of the Great House White.

Russell White, Duke of the North.

“Whatever it may be… we shall answer.”

A vortex began to stir.

Intervention.